Midsummer Road Trip 2023 #1

Latham’s Snipe

We took a short 4-day trip around the Sapporo area earlier this week…

I got a half-lifer on the way up as we drove north at night. A Siberian Thrush singing. Unfortunately it was still pitch black so I couldn’t find it…so that will have to wait to make it onto my J-list.

We arrived in the Mukawa area in the early morning and the usual species were present.

Black-browed Reed Warbler

Most interesting birds were a pair of Japanese Crane (presumably with chick) but they were impossible to photograph well due to them being in the long grass as well as the harsh summer light.

Stejneger’s Stonechat

A drizzly Saturday

White-tailed Eagle

A wet miserable White-tailed Eagle on a wet miserable Saturday afternoon near Mukawa.

Lathams’s Snipe habitats have been damaged by the absurd number of solar farms spring up all the time and replacing grassland.

Plus they’re difficult to perch on…see how this one slid all the way down.

Latham’s Snipe

This perch the next morning was slightly better…

Latham’s Snipe

Fizzled Out

Bull-headed Shrike

Yesterday was a grey misty Sunday. The spring migration season has just about fizzled out: a bit of a quiet one this year.

Some muted birds on a somewhat muted day.

Latham’s Snipe
Wryneck

Other stuff around included Cattle Egret, Green Sandpiper, lots of Grey-tailed Tattlers, a small flock of Falcated Duck, Eastern Marsh Harrier and newly arrived Black-browed Reed Warblers.

East Hokkaido 2019 #10

White-tailed Eagle

We headed up to Shiretoko to try for Pine Grosbeaks at the top of the pass there. The weather was pretty nasty on the way…….here are 2 oft seen roadside birds on the way up there……….

Latham’s Snipe

And on the way north we came across some White-throated Needletails………..

White-throated Needletail